Iowa City under 21 ordinance passes

Voters in Iowa City decided Tuesday to keep a new ordinance in place that bans anyone under 21 from being in the city’s bars after 10 P.M. Iowa City Mayor Matt Hayek says rejecting the attempt to overturn the ordinance means Iowa City is on its way to changing its binge-alcohol reputation.

“This is great for the entire community,” the mayor says. “We have five months under our belts with the new ordinance and we’re already a safer community, both downtown and in the near-campus neighborhoods.” Hayek is calling the vote result “a squeaker.” Iowa City voters decided by a 1,400 vote margin to keep the new ordinance in place.